Big concerns over vaping replacing cigarettes for youth smoking

BOISE — Vaping has become a huge problem in Idaho schools. SRO’s say disposable vape is easily available to kids even though the state limit to buy is 18 years old. Vape contains large amounts of nicotine and they can even contain THC if purchased in a state like Oregon where it’s legal. The lung association says high doses of nicotine can be extremely harmful to young lungs, not to mention addictive.

• Nampa SRO’s say they confiscate large boxes full of illegal vapes every year.
• SRO’s say most kids get the vape through meetings set up on snapchat
• Disposable vapes can cost as little as 6 dollars and provide hundreds and even thousands of puffs.
• SRO’s say the tiny devices are easy to hide and since they don’t smell bad, they can be hard to detect.

(verbatim of story that aired is below)
Cigarette use among kids maybe on the decline, but Vape sales with large amounts of nicotine are through the roof.
I’m senior reporter Roland Beres and I talked to SRO’s and kids about a problem most parents never see coming. Vape smells nice, tastes like candy and is so cheap you can get thousands of puffs from a device that costs just a little more than your lunch money.

School Resource officers used to worry about finding packs of cigarettes on kids.

4017 ”Now if you do it’s few and far in-between.”

Instead, they’re confiscating huge amounts of disposable vape.

4914 “by the end of the year literally have cardboard boxes full of those we have to destroy. Noway. Yeah. What kind of cardboard boxes. Last year we filled up two that were like this.”

That’s no surprise to students I talked to.

And the American lung association says its way past time to raise the alarm.
“These products (vape) are hooking a whole new generation of Idaho’s youth.”
“We know they have negative health effects. And just the amount of nicotine that a youth can take in with these products is frightening.”

Even grade schoolers are getting hooked. And SRO’S say the purchase is easy through snapchat.

“It’s just a meetup. Someone will bring it to school they’ll know how to get it in the school they’ll meet up with the kids and they’ll pay them cash the kids brought to school.”

So, what’s the solution? As always, education, and it starts with parents.

“Parents have such a great ability too change the narrative here and influence their kids.
elementary school is not too early to talk to your kids”

And judging by cigarette sales, that talk can really work.

According to the truth initiative, only Only 5 percent of Idaho high schoolers have smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days.

Compare that to 21 percent who’ve used vape in the same time frame.

in Boise Roland Beres senior reporter Idaho news six.